Saddlepoint

mathematics

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Alternative Title:
saddle point

Figure 2: The potential energy as a function of elongation of a fissioning nucleus.G is the ground state of the nucleus; B is the top of the barrier to fission (called the saddle point); and S is the scission point. The nuclear shape at these points is shown at the top.

Table 1

The normal-form table illustrates the concept of a saddlepoint, or entry, in a payoff matrix at which the expected gain of each participant (row or column) has the highest guaranteed payoff.

function of game theory

A “
saddlepoint” in a two-person constant-sum game is the outcome that rational players would choose. (Its name derives from its being the minimum of a row that is also the maximum of a column in a payoff matrix—to be illustrated shortly—which corresponds to the shape of a saddle.) A
saddlepoint always exists in games of perfect information but may or may not exist in...

structure of nuclear matter

...faster with elongation than the surface tension increases, and the two are in balance at point
B, which represents the height of the barrier to fission. (This point is called the “saddle point” because, in a three-dimensional view of the potential energy surface, the shape of the pass over the barrier resembles a saddle.) Beyond point
B, the Coulomb repulsion...